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The House-passed budget proposal for fiscal 2012 by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., fails to end "corporate welfare" for Big Oil or take "a long-term view on growth or global competitiveness," argues Kirsten Korosec. Ryan's plan has a budget for clean energy that's 69% less than in President Barack Obama's spending plan; however, Ryan's budget would maintain a tax loophole of up to $53 billion in royalties from oil-and-gas operations, Korosec writes. The proposal "sets the U.S. up to fail in the clean-energy industry. Perhaps that's their point," Korosec adds.

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The Federal Communications Commission's "designated entity" program, which was designed to help small businesses compete in spectrum auctions, has instead turned into a "corporate welfare" program that large enterprises use to bilk taxpayers, write Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and FCC member Ajit Pai. "The FCC needs to do a top-to-bottom review of policies that aid billion-dollar interests at the expense of entrepreneurs," they write.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., last week detailed a proposal to control gasoline prices, which includes eliminating tax incentives for oil and natural gas companies, pressuring the government to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and boosting fuel-economy standards. Soaring gasoline prices are hindering the "fragile recovery," Menendez said. "They are increasing pressure on our families, and increasing pressure on our businesses and increasing pressure on our economy."

U.S. farmers could continue to play an important role in supplying U.S. energy in the next two decades, said Richard G. Newell, head of the Energy Information Administration. Aside from ethanol, "other important energy supply opportunities for agriculture include biodiesel, energy sources from waste, and the siting of wind farms on farms with attractive wind resources," Newell told members of the Senate agriculture panel.

Congress should consider reforming the ethanol blender's tax credit into a variable-rate incentive tied to the market price of oil, according to Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association. "A variable incentive would provide a fiscally responsible backstop to the oil-price volatility that would protect taxpayers and the investments in the industry," Dinneen writes. In addition, Congress should enact policies to promote the deployment of flexible-fuel vehicles, blender pumps and advanced biofuels, Dinneen adds.

The Washington Times argues against the expected decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to raise allowable blending limits for ethanol from 10% to 15%, saying ethanol's environmental benefits are unproven, blended fuels increase wear and tear on car engines, and industry subsidies are a form of "corporate welfare." "There simply is no justification -- environmental or otherwise -- for this interventionist scheme," the editorial argues.